DMK workers burn effigy of BJP leader H Raja, arrested

Veiled 'derogatory' references to DMK President M Karunanidhi by senior BJP leader H Raja today triggered protests by the Dravidian party workers, leading to their arrest here, police said.

The workers, including a local MLA, were arrested for burning an effigy of Raja protesting against the references made in a social media post.

Singanallur DMK MLA and party's South Urban unit secretary N Karthik and 70 other workers set afire the effigy after police made a vain bid to foil it.

At another location in the city, a group of DMK workers, led by North Urban District organiser N Muthusamy were arrested for attempting to burn an effigy of Raja, they said.

Those arrested were later released, police added.

Raja had recently drawn flak over his alleged comments in a facebook post against social reformer E V Ramasamy "Periyar".

However, he had later claimed that the post had been made by his "facebook admin" without his permission.

Raja deleted the post later and expressed regret over the issue.

In the post, it was stated that Periyar's statues will meet the fate of Communist icon Lenin's statue in Tripura, that was brought down soon after BJP won the assembly elections in the north eastern state.